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Why Novalis? Why Now?
Why Novalis? Why now?
by Bruce Donehower
In these times of crisis and “Shelter in Place,” the local group in Fair Oaks, CA of the Section for Literary Arts and Humanities has begun to meet online in an enhanced weekly rhythm to study the German romantic poet Novalis. Our group has met regularly every six weeks or so for the past nine years. But when the crisis hit, we like many others in the world community moved to Zoom.
At first it was challenging, but as the saying goes, with practice things improve. Our Section group even sponsored a three-part Zoom presentation at the Faust Branch on the “Significance of Novalis for Our Time.” These zoomed Branch presentations were ongoing during this month of May.
Why Novalis? Why now? Well, although Novalis, or Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772-1801), did not experience a biological pandemic, he did come of age during an “ideational pandemic.” That is to say: the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution—all those “revolutions” that still impact our world.
Like Goethe with the Fairy Tale written in 1795, Novalis responded to those “signs of his times,” which he recognized as symptomatic events that had their origin in the spiritual world. Hence, like Goethe with the Fairy Tale, Novalis chose to work with pictures and imaginations—and he thought that fairy tales (or Märchen, as the genre is called in German) were the highest form of poetic art.
We know from Rudolf Steiner’s many lectures how great an importance the Rosicrucians placed on pictures and imaginations. Novalis, like the Rosicrucians, thought that these picture-ideas work homeopathically, so to speak. His magical idealism is a challenge to become active with our imagination.
Many have found over the decades that an acquaintance with Novalis and his magical idealist practice can bring to us inspirations for self-renewal and creativity. But to receive these inspirations, Novalis, like Goethe, exhorts us to become active. “Start now!” Without this magical idealist activity of the imagination, we sit as passive spectators on a world from which we rightfully feel estranged.
Although at first our little group in Fair Oaks felt baffled by the crisis at hand, we have found some flakes of fallen light amid the gloom. As we follow our hero Heinrich of Novalis’ brilliant novel, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, we hear words that remind us of Rudolf Steiner’s many indications: that Novalis is needed at this time. Indeed, Novalis is a mystery, but as with all challenges in literature, we find our way slowly and patiently step by step through the maze.
Those who might be interested on further reports of this literary adventure should contact me at BruceDonehower@gmail.com. If you wish to have information on the Section for Literary Arts and Humanities, I can provide that as well. Stay well, and in the words of those intrepid miners that Novalis celebrated: “Glückauf!”
Bruce Donehower (BruceDonehower@gmail.com) is Emeritus Lecturer in the University Writing Program at the University of California at Davis. He is the author of Miko, Little Hunter of the North, illustrated by Tom Pohrt (1990); The Singing Tree: An Alchymical Fable (2004); Ice: A Novel of Initiation (2004); and SancXtuary: A Novel (2012). He is translator and editor of The Birth of Novalis (2007). Most of his books are available from the Rudolf Steiner Library (rudolfsteiner.org/rsl).
